CHAPTER 31
Jonelle stood at one end of the hospital corridor and waited for the detectives to finish their conversation. Fortunately, one of the detectives was her friend Thelonius Burton, outfitted in a tan rumpled suit.
Burt broke away from his partner and approached her with look indicating he was pleased to see her. “I’m glad you caught the call, Burt,” she said. “As soon as LucieBlu’s friend gets here, I’ll be happy to go with you and make a more complete statement down at the station.”
“Actually, I’m working overtime,” Burt said, “and my shift should be over by now, so technically, Lonnie,” Burt indicated the man standing down the hall,” is in charge of this investigation.”
Jonelle spread her arms. “Then, why are you here?”
He avoided Jonelle’s eyes before responding. “When I heard them say your name, I decided to ride along. Since we know each other, I told them I’d come see if I could help. Plus I’ve been meaning to call you. I’ve got more information about the Hightower brothers.” Burt removed a notepad from his jacket pocket and flipped through the pages. “This part is interesting. In addition to their previous assault charges, they were arrested in Dover yesterday for grabbing a transgender female, forcing her into their car and trying to take her clothes off.” Burt shifted his gaze from the notes. “They insisted they had no intention of raping her. They just wanted to see what she looked like with nothing on.” He sighed and closed the pad.
“I knew those two cretins were involved,” she said, her voice bouncing off the hospital walls. “Where are they now?”
Burt held up his hands in a calming gesture. “Now, just hold on Jonelle. They didn’t beat the victim. Granted, what they did was awful, but she wasn’t harmed. At least not physically. It’d be a stretch to go from what they did in Dover, to being involved in this.”
Jonelle crossed her arms. “So, the victim isn’t in the hospital?”
Burt shook his head.
Jonelle frowned. “I still think they had something to do with hurting LucieBlu.”
Burt took Jonelle by the arm and led her over to the wall next to a bank of elevators. “I told the Delaware police about your case and detectives are looking into the brothers’ whereabouts when your client’s friend was assaulted.” He held up his hand to silence Jonelle when she opened her mouth to speak. “We need proof. You said yourself she took a bus and was last seen walking alone.”
“They could’ve followed the bus, and when she got off, watched until the time was right, grabbed her and beat her up. They left her for dead, Burt.”
The detective flipped his pad back and forth in his hand. “We’ve got to start from the beginning. So, the victim’s friend. That would be Marcella Abbott, right?”
Jonelle nodded. “She’s the one who hired me to find LucieBlu.”
“And you’re positive this is LucieBlu Bonderant? I believe you said you never actually met this person before. Is that right?”
Jonelle frowned. The detective’s formal tone didn’t jibe with the man she knew. Before tonight, she’d always appreciated Burt’s easy-going manner. That man was absent. “Yes. That’s right. Listen, Burt, is there some sort of problem? True, I never met her. I’m just going by the description I received, the flier Marcella printed, the knowledge from those at the club and bus driver of what she was wearing, and… ” Jonelle took out her phone, “this is the photo given to me by Marcella. You’ve got all this stuff.”
“Don’t get upset, Jonelle. I need to ask these questions.”
“I don’t have a problem with the questions, but I object to your tone.”
“What tone?”
“Why did you refer to her as ‘this person’? She’s a woman.”
“Well, technically, she’s not.”
Jonelle opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a shout.
“Jonelle.” Marcella ran down the hospital corridor. “Thank God you found her. Where is she? Can I see her?”
Marcella stopped when she saw the detective standing next to Jonelle.
“Marcella, this is detective Thelonius Burton. He’s helping on the case,” Jonelle said.
The detective nodded at Marcella. “I understand you’re the one who asked Ms. Sweet to find your friend. While we’re grateful she found… ” he glanced at Jonelle “ her… a crime has been committed. We now have to spend a good deal of time backtracking to find out what happened. If you had come to us in the first place -”
“You wouldn’t have done a damn thing,” Marcella interrupted. Burt frowned at the outburst. Marcella lowered her voice. “How much effort would you have put into finding LucieBlu? Hell, you people can’t even find the so-called ‘normal’ ones.” She pointed to Jonelle. “Ms. Sweet, Jonelle, took this seriously and as a result, found LucieBlu alive.” Marcella stood inches from the detective’s face. “Instead of trying to lay blame on me, you ought to be congratulating her. She did most of your work for you.”
Though shocked at the amount of anger spewing from the timid Marcella’s mouth, Jonelle was somewhat pleased. Although the look on Burt’s face showed he didn’t agree, Jonelle knew Marcella was right. To his credit, Burt remained silent while Marcella berated him. He spoke to her without raising his voice.
“Ms. Bonderant is in intensive care. We hope once she’s able to speak, she’ll tell us what happened. Right now, she can’t have visitors that aren’t family, until she comes out of the ICU.”
Marcella’s eyes pleaded with Jonelle. “Tell him I’m the closest thing to family she’s got here,” she said.
Jonelle touched Marcella’s arm. “LucieBlu had enough strength to give the police her next of kin and they’ve contacted her parents. They’re on their way here from Illinois. If they grant permission, the hospital can give you updates on her condition. Whether or not the police keep you in the loop,” Jonelle cocked her head at Burt, “is up to them.”
Marcella’s eyes flashed in the detective’s direction.
“Since Ms. Sweet was acting on your authority when your friend was found, I’m sure we can work something out,” Burt said. “Excuse us a moment.” He motioned for Jonelle to follow him to where his partner stood at the end of the hall.
“I’ll be right back,” Jonelle said to Marcella.
As they walked away, Jonelle felt Marcella’s eyes tracking every step. She understood her client’s emotions. Jonelle wondered who wanted to beat LucieBlu to within an inch of her life. In spite of telling Burt she believed the Hightower brothers were involved, the savagery of the beating seemed personal. And then there were the words Luther heard the attacker say.
According to the police, LucieBlu received a broken arm, a smashed knee cap, severe head trauma and a fractured chin. There were cuts and extensive bruising all over her body. The dirty bandages used to wrap the deepest wounds, while they helped slow the blood loss, also caused a minor infection. However, the doctors were in agreement that the aid given to LucieBlu saved her life.
Burt signaled to his partner. “You head on back to the station. I’ll finish here.” His partner shrugged and walked off. Once the man was out of sight, Burt turned to Jonelle.
“Tell me about the bum.”
“What bum?”
“Mr. Isaacson said a bum threatened you both with a steel pipe. We found that pipe. We’re having it tested for DNA. If we find Ms. Bonderant’s blood on it we’re—”
“You won’t,” Jonelle interrupted. “I’m pretty sure of that. I already told you he took care of her wounds, fed her and kept her comfortable. And he’s not a bum. He’s homeless. There’s a difference. Sherman was exaggerating. He was freaked out that LucieBlu was hurt.”
Burt stared at Jonelle. “Okay. So the bum’s… sorry… homeless person’s up there with Mother Teresa. Mr. Isaacson also said you chased the guy around the warehouse and that’s what led you to the victim. Question is, what would have happened if you hadn’t found her? Was he planning on taking her to a hospital?”
Jonelle shifted from one foot to the other and avoided the detective’s gaze. She didn’t know what Luther intended to do. Fact is, LucieBlu would have died if she hadn’t been found. “I don’t know the answers to those questions,” she admitted. “What I do know is that he’s not sure how many people beat her up. All he said, was that he heard a guy say something like, ‘I’ll teach you,’ and that he was big.” She shook her head. “Don’t know what he means by that. He’s a small guy, so to him I’m also big.”
“Which is why we need to find him to clear up these loose ends.”
“Look, why don’t you focus instead on the two brothers. Have you checked other LGBT clubs? I’m betting they went from place to place, trolling for victims.”
Burt exhaled a long burst of air and frustration. “We’re on it, Jonelle.”
“Yeah, well.” Jonelle flashed back to what Peter had told her. “You might want to check out a transgender named Autumn. She’s also a club regular and she and LucieBlu didn’t get along.”
Burt mumbled something Jonelle couldn’t hear and rubbed his hand over his face.
“We’re checking everything. Including whether or not Ms. Bonderant has any priors.”
Jonelle frowned. “I’m confident LucieBlu has never been arrested. Marcella would’ve told me.” At least Jonelle hoped so.
“At lot of those people, in order to pay for their expensive transformation, often get the money from dealing in the sex trade.”
Jonelle’s eyes widened. “Uh-uh, no way. She worked as a paralegal. You have the name of the firm.”
“You sure she didn’t need a little extra to supplement her paycheck?”
Jonelle swallowed hard. The idea of LucieBlu being involved in anything illegal hadn’t occurred to her. “I guess I don’t know the answer to that,” she murmured.
Burt softened his voice. “We have to find out. It’s possible there are other reasons she was assaulted. Think about it. She’s walking alone late at night in a seedy part of town. Why? Why not just wait for the next bus? If she wanted to think, or work something out when she missed out on an acting gig, hell, she could’ve gone home and done that.”
Jonelle played with her necklace. She didn’t like what Burt was insinuating. He was turning LucieBlu into someone who might have caused her own attack, and Jonelle didn’t believe it.
“Nope. Not buying it,” she said shaking her head. “Everyone who knew her, respected who she was. There was no hint of anything illegal. For all Marcella’s issues… ,” Jonelle looked down the hall. Marcella stood where they left her. “If LucieBlu was involved in anything dicey, Marcella would know about it.”
“Did you ask her? Specifically, I mean. The sex thing didn’t occur to you, remember?”
Jonelle leaned against the wall and stared at the far wall.
The detective waited.
For a few minutes, detective and private investigator said nothing. Jonelle pushed back from the wall and started pacing. Burt’s eyes followed her movements.
“Okay, here’s the thing,” Jonelle said. She came and stood in front of Burt. “I understand this is a police investigation, and I won’t do anything to get in your way. But, Marcella is my client and if she wants me to stay on this case until we find out what really happened that night LucieBlu walked away, then I’ll do that. If she says my involvement is over, well, that’ll be okay as well.”
Burt frowned. “You have no more case, Jonelle,” he said. “This is a police matter now. We’ll handle this from here on.”
She avoided his scrutiny. “Right. Whatever you say. I’ve gotta go talk to my client now. Excuse me.” She heard Burt’s footsteps retreating behind her back.
Jonelle ambled over to Marcella, with a smile. ‘No more case’ my ass.
“You found her. I knew you would,” she said. Jonelle had never seen Marcella so happy. “I still don’t understand why I can’t at least take a peek at her. I want her to know I’m here.”
“They have her in a medically induced coma, and the doctor told the detectives she’s in critical but stable condition.”
Marcella bit her lip. “I was afraid to ask before. How did she look when you found her? Was she hurt real bad?”
Jonelle filled Marcella in on how she found LucieBlu in the warehouse. Tears welled in Marcella’s eyes as Jonelle described the injuries. “I never should’ve let her go out alone,” Marcella said, her voice shaking with emotion. “I should have insisted we hang out together until she felt better, and screw Autumn. If I would’ve—”
“There was nothing you could have done,” Jonelle interrupted. “Don’t beat yourself up about it.”
Marcella winced.
Jonelle smacked her forehead with her hand. “Sorry, bad choice of words. The thing is, LucieBlu made her own choices that night, and unfortunately this is where she ended up. What we have to do now is find who did this to her and bring the bastards to justice. We won’t know for sure until she’s able to talk, but if she indicates the beating was because of what she is, then we’re talking a hate crime here. And that gets a maximum sentence.”
Marcella nodded and walked down to the ICU. Jonelle followed. She placed her hand on Marcella’s shoulder.
“I know I only hired you to find her, and you did,” Marcella said, her face in front of the glass-topped door. “But I would feel a lot better if you stayed on until whoever did this is arrested.”
“If that’s what you want.”
Marcella smiled. “Thanks. When I told my boss what happened, everyone said they’d chip in with the extra money.”
Jonelle nodded. “The detective I introduced you to is a friend, and I’ll keep bugging him to keep me informed of their investigation. Also,” she winked at Marcella, “he doesn’t know this, but I plan on doing a little investigating on my own.”
CHAPTER 32
The next day Jonelle returned to the warehouse in search of Luther and found the cavernous place unoccupied. Not only was there no sign of the homeless man and his rag-tag community of like souls, but the police hadn’t bothered watching the place either. Jonelle snorted. So much for protecting the scene of the crime. She chewed on her thumb. Would two guys who robbed dollar stores and harassed transgenders, beat one almost to death? Criminals often felt emboldened to escalate their crimes, which would elevate the two of them to a higher level of evil. Jonelle wondered if these same men who tried to rape a transgender woman, were capable of aggravated assault, or worse. Plus, Luther said he heard a man say, “teach you to mess with me,” or words to that effect. That implied a personal connection.
LucieBlu had a personal connection with Sherman, and she’d filed a lawsuit against him. The claim could affect his livelihood, not to mention he was a big man. Jonelle needed to find Luther, but had no idea where he hung out during the day. Since LucieBlu was out of the warehouse, there was no need for him to stick close by. Where would he go? Luther was smart enough to know what to do to help LucieBlu and didn’t appear to have serious mental issues. So, Jonelle figured he’d stake out a place near one of the most prestigious places in the city. She headed for the Inner Harbor.
After several frustrating minutes, Jonelle knew she couldn’t find Luther by driving around. Bumper to bumper traffic stalled her at every intersection. It required all her concentration to keep an eye on where she was going. With nerves tingling with frustration, Jonelle decided to park in one of the covered lots. Jonelle started her search for Luther at the Harbor entrance off of Pratt Street.
A community of homeless people staked out territory between the retail stores, office buildings and the boats docked in the harbor. A short time later she found Luther along with about five other men, sitting on the steps around HarborPlace.
Jonelle stood a short distance away and witnessed his interaction with the others. He stood in the center, laughing as if holding court. It was obvious he was the leader, and it didn’t surprise her. She allowed a few people to hurry by, their eyes averted from the circle of me
n, before she called out. “Excuse me. Luther?”
He turned at the sound of his name. The alarm first shown in his eyes gave way to a frown when Jonelle came forward. “I’m done with you lady. What the hell you want?”
“Thought you might like an update on LucieBlu’s condition.”
His face softened a little. “Be right back,” he said to his buddies as he walked a short distance away. A wooden bench faced a houseboat named “Worked Hard” and the two sat down. “So,” he said. “How’s she doin’? She gonna be all right?”
Jonelle nodded. “She’s in critical condition, but the doctor says she should pull through. Her parents have been contacted, and they’re on the way here. Plus, the friend who hired me is very supportive so LucieBlu won’t be alone.”
“That’s good.” Luther leaned forward, forearms on his thighs, hands clasped together. He stared out at the water.
After a few moments of companionable silence, Jonelle had to interrupt his thoughts. “The police want to talk to you. I’ve told them all you told me, but they insist that there’s the possibility they could learn more. I know one of the detectives and he’s a good guy. He won’t try to railroad you.”
Luther was shaking his head even before Jonelle finished talking. “I thought I tole you, I ain’t talkin’ to no cops.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “You kinda hardheaded, you know that? So what’s next? You gonna tell ‘em where I hang out? Git me and my friens in trouble?” He stood to go.
“Look, one of the things I am, is true to my word. I will not tell them where I found you, only that you still insist there’s nothing else to add about who attacked LucieBlu.” Jonelle stood. “One other thing. You ever see two black guys driving around the warehouse in a dark blue Nissan? One with some kinda circle design in his fade and the other with a streak of hair down the middle of his scalp, like a Mohawk?”
He squinted at her. “Lady, you describin’ most of the black dudes around here.”
Gone Missing: A Jonelle Sweet Mystery Book 2 Page 18